Powers & Abilities Sanji cracking Luffy's skull is canon in the manga

You can make a cracking sound without something having actually been cracked.

Anyway, I don't know why the fanbase even hype this up since Luffy wasn't fighting back and Sanji was going all out. I would be embarrassed to use this as a feat for my favourite character.
sanji is not even close to going all out, he didn't even use hell memories on luffy, if luffy take Hell memories unguarded, luffy will be toasted for good
 
He said as much himself

That's the type of shit I hate about One Piece fans when they debate

you guys all know Hell's memory was his best attack introduced THUS FAR

Yet, because a scene which actually is "more emotionally hurting" than "physically"
We see fans just interpret shit by saying "oh power scaling"

Let's take a different interpretation which is more accurate than your analysis:

1- Sanji gave Nami a scary glare, something he never does!

2- Sanji calls Luffy that he probably wouldn't become King of Pirates...etc

3- Sanji starts mocking him saying "who are you again?"

All of those are actually "insulting and hurting Luffy to his best of abilities"

The problem with Sanji wasn't just a kick to the face, all the crew punched and kicked Luffy before

It's the god damn emotional impact that those kicks/punches were behind... on what ground, why did they do it? And what fucking imcentive and motivation they had by doing so!?


Sanji was trying to HURT Luffy emotionally ENOUGH to let him abandon him (while Sanji inside himself wanted Luffy and co to survive, so naturally, he wouldn't try to fight Luffy to KILL him)

The fact that he didn't use hell's memory alone is more of a proof that what Sanji talked about from "damage/hurt/insult" were emotional and not physical

But it's sad that everythinh in One Piece is interpreted to Power scaling shit
 
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